While sticking to his allegation that Indian agents killed pro-Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said that he lacked “evidentiary proof” but only had intelligence when he first went public with the accusations last year.
Testifying before Foreign Interference Commission, he admitted Canada had not shared any evidence with India but only sought to work together and New Delhi kept demanding proof.“Our response was, well, it’s (proof) within your security agencies,” he said. Later, he told the inquiry panel looking into surveillance of two Conservative lawmakers that there were “clear indications India had violated Canada’s sovereignty”, stopping short of repeating the claim they had shared “evidence” of Indian govt’s complicity in Nijjar’s killing.
Canada PM defends separatists’ freedom of expression
Trudeau’s choice of words echoed what govt officials in New Delhi have been saying for a year that Canadian authorities have not shared any evidence to back their claims.
Trudeau, who is grappling with a big loss in public support, sought to play on the sovereignty of Canada and repeatedly tried to bracket India with China and Russia.
“Indian govt made a horrific mistake in thinking that they could interfere as aggressively as they did in the safety and sovereignty of Canada, and we need to respond,” Trudeau said.
He said Canadian police started probing the Nijjar murder after “credible intelligence” and demands from South Asian members of parliament and those from the community who alleged an Indian hand. He said he was briefed about it in late July or early Aug.
“I was briefed on the fact that there was intelligence from Canada, and possibly from Five Eyes allies that made it fairly clear, incredibly clear, that India was involved in this… Agents of the govt of India were involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil,” Trudeau said.
He said his govt could have chosen to make it “very uncomfortable” for India by going public just before the G20 Summit in Sept 2023 but chose to work with Indian govt. Trudeau also said when he raised the issue with PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, the latter’s response was not helpful. “He responded with the usual response that ‘we have people, who are outspoken and speaking against India, living in Canada that we would like to see arrested’,” Trudeau said, while seeking to defend the “freedom of expression” of several persons whom India sees as pro-Khalistan separatists.